Have You Ever Won Anything on eBay?

May 15, 2008

By Curtis K. Shelburne: Religion columnist

eBay. A few years ago that would have appeared here only as some sort of typographical error. But now we see those four letters and know they point to the premier online auction site. I’ll bet my user I.D. you’ve heard of eBay.

Have you ever gotten lost for a couple of hours surfing around on eBay? Have you ever actually bought anything on eBay?

I plead guilty on both counts

Sometimes if you have time, or need a break even if you definitely don’t have time, it’s fun to do a “search” or two to get a feel for the amazing range of odd items for sale on eBay, not to mention the odd people selling there. Even if you never buy anything on eBay, you can surely learn a lot about an item or two you might be thinking about buying elsewhere.

And, yes, I’ve actually bought an item or two.

A really inexpensive set of Sir Winston Churchill’s volumes on “The Second World War.” They read quite as well as the expensive set.

A headlight for my motorcycle. (eBay is by far the best place to find parts for an old—make that “classic”—1983 Honda V45 Magna.)

An F150 pickup. Yep, no kidding. It was just what I wanted and better than I ever expected. (Need I say, you’ve got to be careful with this kind of purchase? But my banker and I checked out the online dealership very carefully.) Warning: The preceding paragraph should not be taken as advice to buy or sell vehicles on eBay. (There. Now I feel better about telling you.)

A ship’s “Captain’s Table” bell. This item has been a disappointment. I was under the impression that all the Captain had to do was to sit at table and ring the bell and someone would appear instantly to serve him. My wife has not responded to it yet. It’s obviously faulty, but I’ve kept it anyway.

I’ve bought several books on eBay. Most recently, I won (that’s the word that makes eBay fun—and potentially addictive) an edition of Bauer’s “A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature.” I’d been needing a new old copy. (New new copies are expensive. Something around $150)

I was a little surprised that it took me a couple of tries to actually win a copy. Believe it or not, I was out-bid at the last moment a couple of times before I finally succeeded in getting one.

The last moment is about the only way I have ever bid. (Should that be “bidden”? Nah!) Bidding late. It’s strategy, you see.

But strategy aside, I was kinda surprised that old Greek lexicons were, if not a hot item, at least somewhat in demand. At least by three of the jillion users of eBay.

I got that lexicon for $22. It was a bargain. And I’m cheap.

eBay wasn’t around thousands of years ago when Satan made his bid. But thank the Lord indeed that our adversary was decisively outbid by a loving God who paid the highest price to win our souls.